I was writing with a quill and ink bottle recently and noticed the way ink is soaked into the fibers of paper when it is heavily saturated. The paper bleeds, spreading ink out across these lines like veins trickling with life. It is amazingly beautiful.
For the last few months, the world has had Covid-19 spreading like ink in the fibers of earth. In recent weeks, the U.S. has begun to shut down and isolate communities to lower the risk of spreading the virus. And yet, the ink continues to leak into the worlds we've built for ourselves.
Funny how it seems like yesterday we were planning birthday events, spring break trips, and looking ahead to finally being un-couped from the winter weather. Now here we are trying to do our part to flatten the curve. I am not an expert in science, nor am I a medical professional. But I do have a lot of medical professional family and friends who continue to share information regarding this virus. My prayer is for their safety along, with everyone in this world, is for their health and protection. No one should have to go through this.
And yet, we are here; this is reality.
I'd be lying to say I haven't been scared or anxious. The truth is far more horrifying when I choose to embrace it. But I accept the truth. Why? Truth has always been a foundation of my beliefs. While it is true that there is pain and suffering, there is also joy and wonder. And there is hope. Hope in the eternal. Hope in what lies ahead.
It is in these moments of fear and anxiety that I choose to embrace hope. Not hope that I will be okay, or even that my family will be okay, but in the hope that stills the fears of others who pander to the chaos. A hope that calms storms filled with sacrificial love, and calls me to trust in God with the unknown outcomes of my circumstances.
This hope is what I pour into what I create and make. I create ridiculously stupid things sometimes, and other times I create a piece that brings joy to someone else. But when I create without restriction, I create with the hope of what is unseen, be it silly, weird, poetic, heart-wrenching, or wonderous.
If you are creative, use your gifts to bring hope and wonder to those around you. May it point to the greater hope we have in Jesus. And may it bring a peace that transcends our understanding of this world we all live in. Not with pompous arrogance, hatred, or vile speech, but with love, grace, and peace.
Our Home, hanging on a string.
Isn't it such a beatiful thing?